14 Principled Anti-War Celebrities We Fear May Have Been Kidnapped

Hmm... highly amusing in a 'aren't we clever' smug kind of way.

I find it interesting that even the war hawks aren't fond of this particular potential strike. Makes me wonder if the hawks are as partisan as the doves. 'Tis a very odd world when we can't tell the hawks from the doves except by the color of their state...

Yeah but, Don, this time we're bombing for a good reason.



::ETA::

BTW, where are the Dixie Chicks?

Don said:

A pox on all their houses for putting partisan politics ahead of conscience.

Click to expand...

They are all supporting this war?

Celia Cyanide said:

They are all supporting this war?

Click to expand...

I doubt any of them were.

But it would seem that a political calculus was made. "My silence is for the greater good. Otherwise my guy gets hurt, and then he can't do other things I'd like to see him do."

There are some pitfalls in this reasoning.

Ed Asner has spoken about this:
From The Hollywood Reporter


Another reason some Hollywood progressives have been reticent to speak out against war in Syria, according to Asner, is fear of being called racist.
"A lot of people don't want to feel anti-black by being opposed to Obama," he said.

He also added this as a reason for silence from Hollywood stars:

Also, said Asner, unsuccessful efforts to prevent war in Iraq led to complacency among left-wing activists.
"We had a million people in the streets, for Christ's sake, protesting Iraq, which was about as illegal as you could find. Did it matter? Is George Bush being tried in the high courts of justice?" asks Asner. "We've been so God-damned stung in this country by false wars, repeatedly, that, how can you believe in any just war with the history we have had?"

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/syria-why-hollywoods-anti-war-623326

Wow, I didn't realize we'd actually gone to war.

I thought we were giving diplomacy a chance, first.

Gregg said:

Ed Asner has spoken about this:
From The Hollywood Reporter


Another reason some Hollywood progressives have been reticent to speak out against war in Syria, according to Asner, is fear of being called racist.
"A lot of people don't want to feel anti-black by being opposed to Obama," he said.

Click to expand...

I hope he's wrong because the conclusion I cannot escape is this. If he's right, these people think that brown skin excuses something that is inexcusable from a guy with white skin. Not to put too fine a point on it, they are holding a bloke with brown skin to a lower moral standard than they would hold a bloke with white skin to. In my reasonably humble opinion, that's an example of racism.

If it's not about the colour of Mr Obama's skin, but is rather about political affiliation, then it's wingism which is also bloody well awful if it encourages or fails to discourage war.

CrastersBabies said:

Wow, I didn't realize we'd actually gone to war.

I thought we were giving diplomacy a chance, first.

Click to expand...

Oh, that's right. The vote Obama wanted in Congress was for more negotiation.

Well, maybe these celebrities are giving diplomacy a chance or giving congress a chance to say no to peerless POTUS.

♪All we are saying
Is give peace a chance.♪

In the meantime, peace is in pieces and tucked behind the piano.

robjvargas said:

Oh, that's right. The vote Obama wanted in Congress was for more negotiation.

Click to expand...

Wanting a vote and acting on it are two different things. I thought that would be obvious.

I'm against the war, but I think it's too soon to be using my super non-wit to make pithy little comments about the absence of Sean Penn in the media.

Sean Penn didn't wait until there were boots on the ground with Iraq. And where have they all been for the drone strikes?

I hope he's wrong because the conclusion I cannot escape is this. If he's right, these people think that brown skin excuses something that is inexcusable from a guy with white skin. Not to put too fine a point on it, they are holding a bloke with brown skin to a lower moral standard than they would hold a bloke with white skin to. In my reasonably humble opinion, that's an example of racism.

Click to expand...

I didn't read it that way. I read it that people are scared of the finger being pointed and other people saying 'you're a racist' if they criticise Obama. And that's an accusation that can be hard to shake.

uh huh...

The only explanation for their continued silence must be a large, organized kidnapping.

Click to expand...

Pot, Kettle.

mirandashell said:

I read it that people are scared of the finger being pointed and other people saying 'you're a racist' if they criticise Obama. And that's an accusation that can be hard to shake.

Click to expand...

True. But then, much of the left--no doubt including some of these folks--have consistently argued that the cries of racism were always justified and not just a means of silencing critics.

Funny that Asner would cop to the reality now.

Uhh.... that's not what I said.

Everyone, that's not what I said.

ETA: my point was that Asner was saying it. Not that it was true.

I don't buy the whole, "I can't badmouth Obama's actions because then I'm a racist" bunk. Let's face it, some celebs aren't the brightest star in their pretty little skies, but one would think they know this much at least.

If celebs are holding back because of party loyalty, then I'm totally willing to call them out on it. I just think it's a wee bit early. I'm sure Bill O'Reilly disagrees, but oh well. The world still turns.

mirandashell said:

Uhh.... that's not what I said.

Everyone, that's not what I said.

ETA: my point was that Asner was saying it. Not that it was true.

Click to expand...

*shrug*

That's okay. I think it is true. And I think Asner saying it is strong evidence in that regard.

Regardless, it is true that the "accusation" alone can be "hard to shake," as you put it, no? So the fear of such an accusation, whether warranted or not, is what Asner says is impacting his decisions about what to say.

mirandashell said:

Uhh.... that's not what I said.

Everyone, that's not what I said.

ETA: my point was that Asner was saying it. Not that it was true.

Click to expand...

I didn't read you as saying that and come to think of it, you could well be right regarding celebrities fearing the accusation.

If it's the case, I think they should grow a set and come out now against what they came out against before because not to do so is still cowardice and hypocrisy.

So the fear of such an accusation, whether warranted or not, is what Asner says is impacting his decisions about what to say

Click to expand...

.


Yep, that's what I think Asner thinks.

It's bogus for Asner to lay claim to the notion that "We protested a war in Iraq and our protests fell on deaf ears, so now there's just no point protesting a war in Syria," because the left-right paradigm won't allow such a notion to hold up.

It was mostly the LEFT which was protesting Iraq, all the while that we had a RIGHT-leaning president. So it can be easily understood that the Righty POTUS from back then would ignore the Left.

But now it's a Lefty president. Why should he ignore his own base?

That's a cop-out answer, Ed, with no credibility at all.

I think the correct answer that he refuses to give is "Obama isn't what he promised us he would be. He's just as bad as Bush if not worse." And THAT is the real reason why "there's just no point."

Plot, he's an actor. He's not a political genius, he's just an actor.